Rodrigo Cabral
“Brucutu”
Source: bjjheroes.comBrazilian black belt Rodrigo “Brucutu” Cabral carried a competition-and-coaching career from Rio to England, Russia, and Austin.
Biography
Sources for this profile
Fight Factory Jiu-Jitsu, “Rodrigo Cabral,” accessed 2026-09-07.(opens in a new tab)
Fight Factory Jiu-Jitsu identifies Rodrigo Cabral as its owner and head coach in Austin, making the academy his current professional base.
Where in the source: Rodrigo Cabral — head coach and owner
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The academy’s current profile describes Cabral as a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.
Where in the source: 18-year black belt rank
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Fight Factory credits Cabral with developing notable competitors including Kody Steele and brothers Andrew and William Tackett.
Where in the source: Nurtured world-class champions
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BJJ Heroes, “Rodrigo ‘Brucutu’ Cabral,” accessed 2026-09-07.(opens in a new tab)
The competitor profile gives his full name as Rodrigo de Oliveira Cabral and records Brucutu as his jiu-jitsu nickname.
Where in the source: Rodrigo Cabral Jiu Jitsu — Full Name / Nickname
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BJJ Heroes reports that Cabral was born in 1981 in Rio de Janeiro.
Where in the source: Biography — born on July 7, 1981
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The profile identifies Cabral as Brazilian.
Where in the source: Rodrigo “Brucutu” Cabral — Brazilian
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BJJ Heroes reports that Marcos Norat awarded Cabral his purple belt and Rocian Gracie awarded his brown belt before his period with Leonardo Vieira.
Where in the source: Biography — purple bel ... Rocian Gracie his brown
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BJJ Heroes dates Cabral’s black belt to 2005 and explains that Ricardo Vieira physically presented it as an endorsement of Leonardo Vieira’s promotion.
Where in the source: Biography — black belt in 2005 ... endorsement of Leonardo Vieira
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Alan Orr, interview with Rodrigo ‘Brucutu’ Cabral, first published in UK Martial Arts Illustrated, December 2007.(opens in a new tab)
In a 2007 interview, Cabral said he began jiu-jitsu as a teenager in Rio at Gracie Humaitá with Fredson Alves and later trained with Leonardo Vieira after moving to São Paulo.
Where in the source: Background — young teenager in Rio
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Cabral said he moved to England in 2003 as a brown belt and began teaching jiu-jitsu there; the interview places him at London Fight Factory by 2007.
Where in the source: Background — moved to England
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Cabral described his teaching as detail-led: positioning and leverage made techniques work, while sparring and competition preparation also required conditioning.
Where in the source: Approach — leverage ... proper positioning
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BJJ Heroes, “Rodrigo Cabral: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Russia,” 2011, accessed 2026-09-07.(opens in a new tab)
In a 2011 interview from Russia, Cabral described being selected to help establish an Alliance affiliate there and said Alexandre Paiva and Alexandre Puga had supported his recent development.
Where in the source: Alliance BJJ Russia — chosen to come to Russia
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In the 2011 interview, Cabral said his national-title return came after he had not competed since 2008 and after a shoulder operation eight weeks before the tournament.
Where in the source: Gold medal at the Brazilian Nationals — final surgery 8 weeks prior
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BJJ Heroes, “Rodrigo Cabral Interview,” accessed 2026-09-07.(opens in a new tab)
Cabral later explained that Robert Drysdale recommended him for a coaching opportunity at an Austin academy, prompting the move from his Russia assignment to Texas.
Where in the source: Texas Academy — Robert called me
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BJJ Heroes, “Rodrigo Cabral Interview On Building BJJ Talent in Austin, TX,” 2019, accessed 2026-09-07.(opens in a new tab)
A 2019 BJJ Heroes interview dates Cabral’s Austin academy project to 2014 and says he started it with his wife, Mel.
Where in the source: Project started in 2014
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Cabral said he adjusted training to an athlete’s size and looked for performance gaps in both competition and practice.
Where in the source: I customize training — gaps in my students’ performances
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BJJ Heroes, “Kody Steele,” accessed 2026-09-07.(opens in a new tab)
Kody Steele’s profile says he began jiu-jitsu with Cabral at Brazilian Fight Factory and received his black belt from Cabral in January 2020 after training under him from white belt onward.
Where in the source: Kody Steele Biography — guided him from white to black belt
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BJJ Heroes, “Andrew Tackett,” accessed 2026-09-07.(opens in a new tab)
Andrew Tackett’s profile records Brazilian Fight Factory as the team where the Tackett brothers trained under Cabral and dates Cabral’s promotion of Andrew to black belt to December 2022.
Where in the source: Andrew Tackett Biography — promoted to black belt by coach Rodrigo Cabral
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International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, “Campeonato Brasileiro de Jiu-Jitsu 2011” results.(opens in a new tab)
The official 2011 Campeonato Brasileiro results list Rodrigo de Oliveira Cabral of Alliance in first place in the Master 1 men’s black-belt super-heavy division.
Where in the source: MASTER 1 / BLACK / MALE / SUPER HEAVY — 1 Rodrigo de Oliveira Cabral
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International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, 2012 World Master results, championship record 140.(opens in a new tab)
The official 2012 World Master results place Rodrigo de Oliveira Cabral of Alliance second in the Master 1 men’s black-belt super-heavy division.
Where in the source: MASTER 1 / MALE / BLACK / SUPER-HEAVY — 2 Rodrigo de Oliveira Cabral
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